Description and Life History

Golden paintbrush is a perennial herb in the figwort or snapdragon
family (Scrophulariaceae). It often has
from 5-to-15 unbranched stems. The stems may be erect or spreading,
in the latter case giving the appearance of being several plants,
especially when in tall grass. Plants are up to 30 cm (12 inches)
tall and are covered with soft, somewhat sticky hairs. The lower
leaves are broader, with 1-to-3 pairs of short lateral lobes
near the terminal third. The showy bracts are about
the same width as the upper leaves, softly hairy and sticky, and
are golden yellow. The bracts effectively hide the flowers.

Golden paintbrush is short-lived and individual
plants generally do not survive longer than 5-to-6 years. This species
apparently reproduces exclusively by seed; vegetative spread has
never been observed or reported. Plants may flower as early as February,
and flowers are observed into summer. The fruit is a capsule,
which matures in August; by mid-summer, the plants senesce, although
some plants produce shoots in the fall that overwinter. Capsules
persist on the plants well into winter. Although seed dispersal
has not been directly observed, the seeds are probably shaken from
the seed capsules and fall a short distance from the parent plant. The
seeds are light and could possibly be dispersed short distances
by the wind.

Habitat

Habitat descriptions for golden paintbrush are based on those
extant populations in Washington and British Columbia; absent comparable
habitat information for Oregon, we assume that the habitat of the
extirpated populations in the Willamette Valley was similar. Golden
paintbrush occurs in upland prairies, on generally flat grasslands,
including some that are characterized by mounded topography. Low
deciduous shrubs are commonly present as small to large thickets.
In the absence of fire, some of the sites have been colonized by
trees, primarily Douglas-fir, and shrubs, including wild
rose and Scotch broom, an aggressive non-native shrub.

The mainland population in Washington occurs in a gravelly, glacial outwash
prairie. Other populations occur on clayey soils derived from either
glacial drift or glacio-lacustrine sediments (in the
northern end of the species’ historic range). All of the
extant populations are on soils derived from glacial origins. At
the southern end of its historic range, populations occurred on
clayey alluvial soils, in association with Oregon white oak woodlands. Recent
analyses of likely sites for reintroduction of golden paintbrush
found that habitats are dominated by non-native annuals, and will
require management before successful reintroductions can be expected

Reasons for Decline

Threats to golden paintbrush include habitat modification
as succession causes prairies and grasslands to become shrub and
forest lands; development for commercial, residential, and agricultural
use; low potential for expansion of golden paintbrush populations
and their refugia because existing habitat is constricted;
and recreational picking and herbivory.

Range

Historically, golden paintbrush has been reported from more
than 30 sites in the Puget Trough of Washington and British Columbia,
and as far south as the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Many
populations have been extirpated due to agricultural, residential,
and commercial development. Eleven
populations are currently known to exist in Washington and British
Columbia; more than half of these populations occur on Whidbey,
San Juan and Lopez islands off the north coast of the Washington
mainland. In Oregon,golden paintbrush historically occurred in the
grasslands and prairies of the Willamette Valley in Linn, Marion
and Multnomah Counties; the species has been extirpated from all
of these sites as the habitat has been changed or modified by urbanization
or agriculture. The
last sighting of golden paintbrush in Oregon was in 1938 in
Linn County.

Conservation

Some research has been conducted on the population biology, fire ecology,
propagation and restoration of golden paintbrush. The results
of these studies have been used to direct the management of the
species at sites managed for upland prairies, and are critical to
the future reintroduction and recovery of the species. A reintroduction
plan has been prepared as directed by the golden
Paintbrush Recovery Plan;
reintroduction into likely historical habitat is the best hope for
the species to recover in the prairies of Oregon and southwestern
Washington. Greenhouse trials and surveys of potential reintroduction
sites in the Willamette Valley have recently been completed. Seeds
of this species have been banked at the Berry Botanic Garden in
Portland, Oregon and the University of Washington Botanic
Garden.